Seeing the light.

CREATE! Fass Koffe group members with their solar food dryer.

As exciting as it has been to see the solar powered water pumps at work, we aren't stopping there. 

Today we met with the women of Fass Koffe at the CREATE! Appropriate Technology Demonstration Center to begin a test of our solar food dryer.

CREATE! Field Coordinator Ibrahima Ndiaye explaining how the solar food dryer works.

Together we decided what kinds of fruits and vegetables to try, how to cut them and place them in the food dryer, where to place the food dryer and how to orient it towards the sun.

Then we loaded up the trays and shut the doors.

Pieces of mango, eggplant and pepper ready to be dried.

We'll wait a few days and then check the progress of the mangoes, eggplants and peppers inside.

Solar food dryer at work.

In the meantime, the women are thrilled.  They told me that while they appreciate all of the many ways in which CREATE! is helping them to improve their lives, what they appreciate most is the knowledge that they are gaining, and today was no exception.